GWR fare evasion please help panicking!!

[Frankie0408]

Fare evasion by buying a shorter journey GWR

Today I made a stupid quick decision in my head.


I had to run to my train from work In Wokingham , made it just in time, but obviously didn't have time to buy a ticket (I hadn't got the train in the morning so I didn't have a return like normal)
I genuinely couldn't buy it on the train as I had no signal, when I got to my station Reading (where they have barriers) I got on to the platform, got signal and purchased a ticket, I thought ya know what I'm really really strapped for cash this month with the current situation in the world it took its toll on me, I'll just get it from the station before (Earley) this save me a couple quid, I did that, now what I didn't see was a bunch of ticket inspectors at the end of the platform, and clearly one of them clocked me.
I showed them the ticket, they told me they saw me, I panicked (I am not the best in quick-thinking situations obviously!) yeah I got on at the station before had to run and stuff, when I clearly saw this wasn't working (i had no evidence to show I worked in that town) I said sorry admitted it, held my hands up said look I’ll pay whatever fine you want me to pay now, but said they couldn’t issue me a fine there and they took my details and said they pass my details on to the prosecution department, and I will get a letter from them.

I've heard multiple stories about people going to court because of this! I'm really scared and cant stop thinking about it (I have quite severe anxiety so something like this I literally don't stop worrying and thinking about it!)
Obviously completely learnt my lesson and I'm happy to take a slap on the wrist and a fine, but I don't want to get a criminal record or go to court!
I’m just wondering what the usual outcome is for something like this? First time offender etc, any fine I get I will pay immediately, I’m not going to fight it, I did wrong, I need to pay for it to make it right. But ive heard a lot of people even if they pay out of court get a criminal record or they have to contact lawyers to get it settled out of court

Genuinely the first time this has happened, I have never dodged a fare before (maybe when I was a teen but really can't remember) in my adult life, I always have a valid ticket and accompanying rail card. Gave them all the correct details etc, they even took where I work which I was a bit uncomfortable giving as I work for charity but didn't want to seem like I wasn't co-operating.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Nothing you can really do now. You'll just wait until you hear back from them - it's likely to be on the order of some weeks or perhaps a few months. With any luck you'll get an offer of settlement but there are no guarantees. That said, if it's GWR that were dealing with you, they are usually fairly open to settlements for first-time offenders.

 

[furlong]

Was it GWR? GWR treats prosecution as a last resort after other methods of settling the matter fail, as you can read here - read the PDF link.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Fare evasion by buying a shorter journey GWR

Today I made a stupid quick decision in my head.


I had to run to my train from work In Wokingham , made it just in time, but obviously didn't have time to buy a ticket (I hadn't got the train in the morning so I didn't have a return like normal)
I genuinely couldn't buy it on the train as I had no signal, when I got to my station Reading (where they have barriers) I got on to the platform, got signal and purchased a ticket, I thought ya know what I'm really really strapped for cash this month with the current situation in the world it took its toll on me, I'll just get it from the station before (Earley) this save me a couple quid, I did that, now what I didn't see was a bunch of ticket inspectors at the end of the platform, and clearly one of them clocked me.
I showed them the ticket, they told me they saw me, I panicked (I am not the best in quick-thinking situations obviously!) yeah I got on at the station before had to run and stuff, when I clearly saw this wasn't working (i had no evidence to show I worked in that town) I said sorry admitted it, held my hands up said look I’ll pay whatever fine you want me to pay now, but said they couldn’t issue me a fine there and they took my details and said they pass my details on to the prosecution department, and I will get a letter from them.

I've heard multiple stories about people going to court because of this! I'm really scared and cant stop thinking about it (I have quite severe anxiety so something like this I literally don't stop worrying and thinking about it!)
Obviously completely learnt my lesson and I'm happy to take a slap on the wrist and a fine, but I don't want to get a criminal record or go to court!
I’m just wondering what the usual outcome is for something like this? First time offender etc, any fine I get I will pay immediately, I’m not going to fight it, I did wrong, I need to pay for it to make it right. But ive heard a lot of people even if they pay out of court get a criminal record or they have to contact lawyers to get it settled out of court

Genuinely the first time this has happened, I have never dodged a fare before (maybe when I was a teen but really can't remember) in my adult life, I always have a valid ticket and accompanying rail card. Gave them all the correct details etc, they even took where I work which I was a bit uncomfortable giving as I work for charity but didn't want to seem like I wasn't co-operating.

If you get a fine, it means the case has gone through the court system. Only a court can issue a fine (or other punishment).

There are situations where people can agree a settlement with the railway company to avoid a court hearing and a possible finding of guilt - but that settlement is between you and the railway, it's not a "fine".

 

[RPI]

If it was a mobile ticket then I expect GWR will also look at your ticket purchase history to see if there is a trend, if so they may call you in for another interview, otherwise you'll more than likely get a letter asking you to pay a proportion of costs plus the fare, if that's the case and you pay it then that will be the end of the matter

 

[Brissle Girl]

I genuinely couldn't buy it on the train as I had no signal,

A couple of points here. You're not allowed to buy a ticket online on the train, otherwise a lot of people could "chance it" and only buy a ticket if and when they see an revenue inspector approach (and it would make short-faring easier).

The second observation is more a surprise that the corridor between Wokingham station and Reading station has no mobile signal. It doesn't strike me as a corridor that would still have very patchy coverage, especially all the way into Reading. Although you weren't entitled to buy a ticket onboard anyway, it might raise eyebrows with the investigating officers too, in terms of how open you are being about the course of events that evening.

I also note the comment about anxiety, and whilst commendably you don't use that as an excuse for what happened, at the risk of stating the obvious, the best way to reduce your stress levels is to ensure that you pay the fare before boarding in future. If you are likely to be late for the train in future then you can use the app to purchase a ticket at leisure earlier in the day.

 

[FenMan]

The second observation is more a surprise that the corridor between Wokingham station and Reading station has no mobile signal. It doesn't strike me as a corridor that would still have very patchy coverage, especially all the way into Reading.

As a local on the line, I can confirm the signal on Three's network ranges from extremely patchy to non-existent between Wokingham and Reading, particularly between Winnersh and Earley. The other mobile networks? I don't know.